No-Bake Strawberry Icebox Cake

See this? This is such an easy dessert. It looks a little fancy, doesn’t it? Don’t be put off. It only takes a few ingredients, and it doesn’t even involve turning on the oven.

This particular icebox cake is just as simple as it gets, inspired by the buckets of strawberries at the markets in late spring, and by my favorite dessert: strawberry shortcake. It has layers of graham crackers, barely sweetened whipped cream, and sliced fresh strawberries. It’s rich, but it’s hardly sweet at all.

1. Take out a few of the best-looking strawberries and set them aside for the garnish. Hull the remainder of the strawberries and cut each berry into thin slices.

2. With a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer, whip 3 1/2 cups of cream until it just holds stiff peaks. Add the confectioners sugar, vanilla, and rosewater (if using) and whip to combine.

3. Spread a small spoonful of whipped cream on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan, or a similarly sized platter. Lay down 6 graham crackers. Lightly cover the top of the graham crackers with more whipped cream, and then a single layer of strawberries. Repeat 3 times, until you have 4 layers of graham crackers. Spread the last of the whipped cream over the top and swirl it lightly with a spoon. Add a few more strawberries.

4. To make the ganache, heat the remaining 1/4 cup cream until bubbles form around the edges, then pour over the chopped chocolate. Let it stand for a few minutes, then whisk until the mixture is thick and glossy. Drizzle this over the layered dessert with a spoon, or transfer to a squeeze bottle and use that to drizzle.

5. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until the crackers have softened completely. Garnish with additional berries.

Recipe Notes

Building the cake on a platter instead of in a pan: You can build this cake in a 9×13-inch pan as I mention above, or you can build it up on a platter as shown here. Either way works nicely. The 9×13-inch pan makes it easier to transport the cake, but if you’re staying at home, the platter makes it look a little fancier. You don’t need to do anything differently when building it on a platter. I do, though, like to smear a bit of cream on the bottom of each cracker as I add it to the stack to keep it steady and in place.